The Four Color Media Monitor

Newsarama writes about the "rematch" between Ms. Marvel and Rogue, the latter who siphoned/duplicated powers from the former back in 1981, in X-Men: Legacy #269, which is part of the Avengers vs. X-Men crossover, and if the duel is built more out of that "event" than a real anguish Carol Danvers could hold against Rogue, then, this isn't something coming naturally. They ask the writer, Christos Gage, the following:

Newsarama: Christos, an event series like Avengers vs. X-Men is designed to appeal to as wide of a readership as possible. So how much of a challenge is it to balance that type of goal while also exploring a relationship like the one between Ms. Marvel and Rogue, which has its roots in a 31-year-old comic book? Also, Rogue vs. Ms. Marvel may be the most famous Avengers vs. X-Men rivalries that existed before the current event. How important do you think each character has been to the other's overall evolution in the past three decades?

Christos Gage: I think as long as you provide the necessary information for a new reader to understand the basis of the conflict, without getting bogged down in exposition, it's possible to walk the line of appealing to both new and longtime readers. It would be silly to pretend the history between Rogue and Ms. Marvel has no bearing on their current fight. However, it's not the only reason, or even the main reason, they're fighting now. It's a bit like watching a game between two teams with a long rivalry. Sure, it adds flavor to know that Babe Ruth was traded to the Yankees 100 years ago and the Red Sox went on a long losing streak afterward, but that's not what today's game is about, and you don't have to have seen games from 1917 to enjoy today's... the announcers will make mention of it and play an old clip or two and that's all the context you need. Those who want to study up on the rivalry can, and they should... Avengers Annual #10 is an amazing comic! But they don't have to. I hope.

Hey, what's that supposed to mean, he "hopes"? Is he hoping they won't try to find one of the best Avengers stories guest starring the X-Men, that's a lot better written than the trash coming out of their office today? I own a copy of the 10th Avengers Annual from 1981, where Rogue first made her debut, and storywise it's a lot better than the new crossover is turning out to be. I would strongly recommend that anybody looking for a really good story try out Avengers Annual #10, which is all shorter and considerably better in action sequences and human relations than AvX could ever be.

As Gage implies, Rogue and Ms. Marvel are mainly scuffling over the new Phoenix-bearer, Hope Summers, and little else. But there's a little something the interviewer says too that's puzzling: did the 2 women actually have a serious rivalry over 3 decades since Rogue grabbed Carol (who'd returned from Limbo after Immortus, who'd exploited her, perished), sucked out her powers and tossed her off the Frisco bridge where Spider-Woman had to rescue her from the water? To my best knowledge, Carol, after receiving new powers and becoming Binary, she joined the Starjammers for a time, and did not make that many appearances over the span of a decade, during which time she may have been able to forgive Rogue for attacking her, since Rogue had repented (I think Carol was alienated from the X-Men for a while after Xavier decided to take Rogue in). As a result, there wasn't much of a rivalry to speak of, even if Carol did hold anguish against Rogue.

As for Rogue and Ms. Marvel, I think what happened between them is very important because for both women it represents a low point in their lives... something they've been working to rise above and overcome ever since, in different ways. They've now come to the point where both can be proud of what they've accomplished rather than angry about what happened, and I think we're seeing that confidence and strength played out in where they're going. That doesn't mean you forget the pain, however... as we see when they come to blows. But to survive the second chapter of this story, they'll need to put it behind them...or there's a lot more pain to come.

If they wanted to forget the pain, they wouldn't fight each other, at least not as part of a stilted crossover. More importantly, if Rogue really regrets her assault on Carol, she wouldn't use her siphoning power on her, which takes a serious risk of harming her as badly as she did back in 1981. It may be possible to write a "rematch" between them where Carol decides to go ballistic on Rogue, but it shouldn't be in a way that makes it look like Rogue doesn't regret how she took Carol down years ago.

Labels: Avengers, crossoverloading, dreadful writers, marvel comics, women of marvel, X-Men